The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1543 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I listened to the radio as I came to, I missed Simon, his side of the bed was cold. The news about the economy, the public sector unions strike and the war in Afghanistan was the same each day, more or less. Then one story really got my attention.

‘The Department of Health has issued a notice about use of alternative therapies in NHS hospitals after an old lady died in Southampton Hospital while receiving healing from a young woman.’

I waited and waited but there was nothing more on the subject and I wondered if Julie had heard it. I went up to her room, she was still in bed and looked totally zonked.

I roused her and told her what I’d heard on the radio, she burst into tears and I told her she needed to get up or she’d be late for work. She told me she didn’t want to go. However, I have a particular averseness to people pretending to be ill, so I dug her out of bed before going down to start the breakfast, waking Danny and the girls as I went down

Julie came down and we tried to listen to the radio through the noise the girls were making and I shouted at them–perhaps louder than I realised–because Mima burst into tears. Then I noticed her eyes looked huge and when I checked on her tummy she had some spots coming out. I sent her back to bed with suspected measles. Just what we needed.

Julie did hear the mention of the news story despite Trish and Livvie being at loggerheads over something or other. When they started screeching at each other, I shouted again. Caroline had just joined us and I asked her to take over while I went to see Mima, who’d got back into bed and was asleep.

I asked the other two if they’d had measles and they said they had. Julie had left for work and I sent Caroline to get Catherine up and what to give her for her breakfast. I was just sorting out the screeching sisters when Julie came in and said she’d been sick. I sent her back to bed and phoned her salon to report her sickness. I hoped she’d had measles.

I somehow got the girls to school and reported that Mima had suspected measles and was told to take the others back home as well–they had a total ban on families who had infectious diseases–apparently starting the year the Swine flu epidemic didn’t quite happen, although I accept there had been some tragic consequences for some people.

I took them both home and sent them up to change into playing-clothes. I also warned them to stay away from Mima, who was sleeping. If they started fighting again I was going to lock them in the garden shed.

Danny was miffed, he’d missed his bus, so I ran him to school in my car which improved his mood–he’d had measles before, too. Back home again, I checked on my two patients. Mima was asleep and Julie looked quite unwell. I took her a drink and a bucket in case she was sick again. She looked at me and went to sleep again.

Caroline was heroically trying to feed a baby who also looked as if she had huge eyes and was very grumpy–so unlike her usual self. I gave her some Calpol and after changing her, took her back to her bed.

Caroline made some tea and I gratefully accepted the mug she offered me–my dormouse one–she’d finally remembered. I drank it while trying to contact Simon, I got his voice mail and sent him good luck for his tribunal thing.

When the downstairs loo began to overflow I really did think the universe was trying to drive me mad. Caroline offered to look at it and decided the washer needed replacing. Did I have a spare? I didn’t know–did I? I showed her the collection of DIY stuff we had and went back to finish my tea. She returned ten minutes later with a cistern washer, turned off the water and replaced the washer with a new one before switching the H2O back on. From someone who was envious of me, I was suddenly in admiration of her and said so.

“I did a plumbing course a few years ago, but never pursued it–sometimes I regret it–you know.”

“Did you qualify as a plumber?”

“Um–not really–it was a very basic course.”

“Would you like to train as one?”

“What a plumber?”

“Yes.”

“I hadn’t given it any thought since I finished the course, why what d’you think?”

“I think you need to make your mind up yourself, but if you’d like to, we could make some enquiries about training.”

“What about here?”

“We’d have to try and sort something out, wouldn’t we? I told you at the outset if there was some form of training you wanted to do, I’d help if I could.”

“It’s really good of you, Cathy, but I think this family needs me more than blocked pipes and dripping taps.”

“At the moment, yes we do–and thank you for putting us first.” I gave her a hug.

“No, thank you for being so generous as always.”

“We’ll perhaps look at things again when life is less demanding.”

“Fine, like when Jenny comes back.”

“That isn’t certain, and Julie healed on someone at Southampton last night and they died.”

“From her healing?” Caroline gasped.

“I doubt it, though the powers that be may not think so–they’ve just banned alternative remedies from NHS hospitals.”

“Typical government–sledgehammer nutcrackers.”

I nodded.

“How does that affect Jenny?”

“Neither of us had better show our faces at Southampton for a bit, had we?”

“Probably not a good idea–but I could go if you want to keep in touch with her.”

“That might be a very good suggestion, Caroline. Yeah, very good. Now stop surprising me or I’ll see if you can walk on water by taking you down the harbour.”

“More tea?” she asked.

“Please, I’m going to check on my patients.” Thankfully, they were all sleeping. I woke Mima and gave her some Calpol and took some paracetamol to Julie, who took a couple and went back to sleep almost immediately.

Stella, when she found out, turned her suite into a bunker instead of allowing her kids a chance to boost their immune systems. However, Puddin’ was in danger of turning into Spotted Dick by tea time, so the barriers were lifted and I was blamed for creating a global pandemic. Stella does have a penchant for overreacting, especially regarding her kids.

I checked with the doctor, who told me to keep them rested and well hydrated and offer Calpol to the children and paracetamol to Julie. Seems like I was doing all I could. Stella was still grumpy, and when she began to come out in spots I knew we were in trouble. It was curtains. Yes drawing the curtains–adults are more at risk of eye damage than children, so Stella was placed in a darkened room and it looked like Caroline and I would have a full-time job until we either got them better or got some help.

Simon sent me a text to say he was on his way home and wasn’t feeling too well. I replied and asked if he’d had measles. He didn’t know. Ain’t life just wunnerful?